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Information on the members of the Disability Equality Steering Group
Chairs of DESG
Vanessa Diaz
Vanessa (she/her) is a Professor of Healthcare Engineering at ÂÒÂ×Ðã, as well as the Vice-Dean for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the Faculty of Engineering Sciences.Ìý Vanessa leads a large team of researchers that make use of modelling and simulation tools to predict patient-specific cardiovascular interventions and patient outcomes prior to surgery. Her work has evolved over the years to include more patients’ voices in her research and to develop tools that are inclusive and equitable, as often technology is deeply ableist.
Vanessa was also one of the co-founding members of The Inclusion Group for Equity in Research in STEMM (TIGERS) who successfully launched a parliamentary inquiry into how inequity in funding distribution impacts the UK research landscape. She’s worked over the years with numerous charities and organisations including the Women’s Engineering Society and she’s a Strategic Advisory Board (SAT) Member on EPSRC’s Engineering Panel.
Vanessa is also the (tired) mum of a very spirited young child (formerly also a very spirited baby and toddler) and she is a school governor where she is specially interested in STEM subjects and inclusion.
Indie Beedie
I am a Deaf British Sign Language User who has worked at ÂÒÂ×Ðã since 2011 in a variety of different roles both in academia and professional services. I have been a member of DESG since 2020 and I am currently a Senior Student Success Officer in the Student Success Office where one of our target groups is disabled students. I am keen to raise the profile of disability equity work at ÂÒÂ×Ðã for staff and students, to move away from the deficit model, and to work with other equity groups to create a more equitable, accessible, and inclusive environment at ÂÒÂ×Ðã.
Eleni Markou
I am working part-time for CenTraS as a lecturer in Translation and have my own language service provision company. As a disabled person myself, I have always been invested in promoting the rights of people with disabilities and in strengthening the voice and visibility of minority groups. My specialism has always revolved around the health sector and in media – my MPhil was in Health Economics, and my PhD was in Regulatory Economics. Currently my main interests are in pedagogy and ensuring the next generation of academics have as many enriching learning opportunities as possible. As a member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (my subject’s professional body), I was invited to be on the EDI committee when they were setting the EDI policies. This meant that over the course of my term, I helped shape the strategy for the years to come and was able to contribute to creating the most appropriate guidelines and policies for current and future members. At ÂÒÂ×Ðã I am an active Dignity Advisor and the Disability Champion for SELCS. From my student days in Greece, I have been involved with committees promoting awareness of disability in higher education, and promoting the organisation of local blood donation services, especially for people with thalassaemia and sickle cell anaemia. I have served as a student volunteer, then coordinator of Nightline, and later acted as a Trustee with special duties as a treasurer. While working at KCL, I was a member of the EDI committee, and in my local borough I have served as School Governor and in particular as the SEN link governor for the school.
Members of DESG
Pip Jackson
My name is Pip Jackson and I am Head of Inclusive Environments in the Sustainability Team. I work closely with both Estates Operations and Estates Development to both act as a critical friend on their projects / works but also to advise on strengthening the inclusiveness of the work they are responsible for. My disability equality strength is inclusive environments, I have an MSc in Accessibility and Inclusive design. Aside from my professional interest in disability equality I am also a disabled person myself and have two children with disabilities.
If I could change one thing for disabled people it would probably be for them to live in a world that was free from barriers to their full participation in life and one where disabled people were not seen as second class citizens / objects of pity but instead as equals. A world free from discrimination for all is one I still live in hope of seeing in my lifetime.
I have been at ÂÒÂ×Ðã for less than two years but I am extremely proud of the changes I have been able to facilitate so far. Things never progress as fast as I would like as I want full inclusion yesterday, however so far my work has seen an Estates Inclusive Design Strategy that commits to the highest levels of inclusion, updated standards on teaching space design, washrooms design and signage that all have inclusion embedded in them, the launching of the sunflower lanyard scheme (which Enable had been seeking to have at ÂÒÂ×Ðã) and so many changes to the building works undertaken by Estates Development to ensure inclusive design. I have also begun an inclusive environments awareness training session each month that is seeing Estates Developments staff knowledge increase so that they are more confident in what to seek in projects.
Joerg Magerkuth
I am senior MRI technician at the Birkbeck-ÂÒÂ×Ðã Centre for Neuroscience located at the ÂÒÂ×Ðã Division of Psychology and Language Sciences. I have a PhD in MRI physics and I am a registered Clinical Scientist for MRI. In February 2011 I joined ÂÒÂ×Ðã and started in my current role after two exciting post-doc projects. I am also a senior member of the Neurodivergent Staff Network at ÂÒÂ×Ðã.
Being considered as neurotypical when I joined ÂÒÂ×Ðã and neurodivergent today, showed me how difficult it is to get individual help, beyond general information available. Based on this experience, I like to focus on three target areas.
Individual workplace adjustments: these should be not more than some check boxes to tick on MyHR, to receive hardware, software, trigger assessments and line manger training.
ÂÒÂ×Ðã Policies: these should be inclusive, explicit, and easy to apply, covering disabilities needs. No one should feel discriminated when policies are applied besides a disability related concern or issue.
Tailored disability advice: online disability advice should be easily accessible and categorised in disabilities. The advice should be updated regularly using feedback and individual tips from users, in regards what helps (hardware, software, books, webpages, (mental) hacks, etc.).
I admit we are not quite there yet, and a lot of other areas are not included, but these small steps could mean a large step for an individual.
Jenny Rattray
I am the MBBS Module Manager, responsible for being the main contact point for Year 5 MBBS students whilst studying Obstetrics and Gynaecology and I am now the Inclusion Lead for the EGA Institute for Women’s Health.Ìý I joined ÂÒÂ×Ðã in 2010 and have held various roles and am passionate about equality, diversity, and inclusion.Ìý I have multiple protected characteristics and am married to a blind Psychotherapist.Ìý I would like to help all disabled staff and students to reach their full potential.Ìý Out of work my husband and I champion the inclusion of disabled people within the arts, so that audio description, signed and relaxed theatre productions are included in all productions, and that there are tours of museum and galleries that are inclusive. Ìý
Manjula Patrick
Hello – I am Manjula Patrick. I am Associate Professor (Teaching), Arena Inclusive Education Lead in the Faculty of Engineering, and Disability Equity Lead in the Faculty of Brain Sciences. I have a PhD in Biotechnology – quite a shift from my current roles!
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My interest in social justice and inclusion stems from my lived experience of intersecting identities. Despite the complexity it brings to addressing equality, I feel intersectional approaches are key to meaningful interventions.
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To subscribe to the ideology of inclusion, a cultural change must happen – that’s each one of us taking active responsibility for breaking down barriers (like accessibility) and valuing disabled and neurodivergent people’s contributions to our community… this is what I’d wave my magic wand to address!Ìý
I have contributed to many EDI ventures, but DESG gets my first shout-out– a privilege to be part of such a positive, collegiate, and diverse group; disabled and neurodivergent people and proactive allies, who work tirelessly on a voluntary basis, to further disability equity at ÂÒÂ×Ðã.
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My second shout-out is ‘Discover ÂÒÂ×Ðã for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students’ an annual widening participation summer school programme I lead, delivered in partnership with the Access and Widening Participation Office. Setup in 2013, it is unique to ÂÒÂ×Ðã and brings talented young deaf people into HE (including ÂÒÂ×Ðã).
Dr Sarabajaya Kumar
Dr Sarabajaya Kumar joined the ÂÒÂ×Ðã School of Public Policy in January 2010. She is currently a part-time Lecturer (Teaching) in Voluntary Sector Policy and Leadership.
Sarabajaya previously held a number of Fellowship and Faculty roles at the London School of Economics and Political Science, the University of Oxford and The Open University.
Her research interests are in Accountability, Governance, Ethical Leadership, Intersectionality and Equality. She currently is co-principal investigator for two research projects, one funded by ÂÒÂ×Ðã’s Global Engagement Office with Professor Yamamoto at Osaka University and Associate Professor Rode at ÂÒÂ×Ðã’s Institute of Education; and the other, funded by the Association of Disabled Professionals, with Associate Professor Colin Provost in the Department of Political Science.
Sarabajaya leads her own research consultancy and is an equalities adviser to the Bar Standards Board (BSB). She is also currently a member of the BSB’s Disability Task Force.
In addition, she is active in civil society and has founded and co-founded a number of non-profit organisations over the past thirty years. Sarabajaya is currently a member of the Women’s Budget Group Policy Advisory Committee, a Trustee of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), and a Director of Impatience, an organisation founded to support and host innovative public benefit projects that were not being created within large established charities. Sarabajaya contested the 2021 GLA election as a list candidate of the Women’s Equality Party. She was one of the first eleven women to be supported by the Activate Collective, and the first disabled woman.
Sarabajaya is: co-lead of the Department of Political Science Disability, Neurodiversity, and Wellbeing EDI network; member of the Department’s EDI Committee; and member of ÂÒÂ×Ðã’s Disability Equality Steering Group, for which she served as co-chair with Jennifer Rode and Michele Farmer for one year.
Ben Watson
Ben is the Head of Digital Accessibility and has a passion for inclusive design that has led him into researching and implementing approaches to inclusive information and technology provision for education. Ben has experience of working with all UK education sectors to provide the equivalent of 'ramps and lifts' to. Ben leads the ÂÒÂ×Ðã Digital Accessibility team who help to ensure that ÂÒÂ×Ðã's digital systems and services are as accessible as possible by design. They develop digital accessibility initiatives to ensure compliance with accessibility regulations and provide assistive technology support to students and staff to help everyone get the maximum benefit from the information sources we provide.
Louise Grimmett
Louise is Head of Student Support and Wellbeing, Inclusion and Disability and has worked at ÂÒÂ×Ðã since October 2018, first as a Disability Adviser and Specialist Study Skills, then the Disability and SpLDs Manager, to her most recent role as Head of Student Support and Wellbeing, Inclusion and Disability. As expected from the job title, Louise is passionate about inclusivity and following a disability advocacy model to support institutions in delivering the best possible outcomes for all students. An adjustment for a disabled person can positively impact a non-disabled person or person with a temporary difficulty. Louise is a part-time Doctorate Researcher with the Security and Crime Sciences Department, and the IOE. Louise’s research is looking at the impact of radicalisation on wellbeing and how a critical thinking framework can prevent radicalisation. Louise has a chapter on Assistive Technology in UK Higher Education, due for publication early 2024.
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